Russia And Algeria Stand for Increased UN Participation in Settlement of International Issues

Russia and Algeria stand for "increased UN participation in settlement of international issues," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said after his Wednesday meeting with his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Belkhadem. It is the very stance both countries have on the post-war settlement in Iraq.

Both foreign ministers discussed bilateral issues alongside with the Iraqi issue. The Russian foreign minister stressed that both parties stood for development of cooperation on the basis of an agreement on strategic partnership signed in April 2001 in Moscow.

Both Russia and Algeria are in constant political dialogue, moreover, there are positive shifts in the economic field, Mr. Ivanov said. It was decided by the parties to conduct a session of the Russian-Algerian intergovernmental commission in the middle of 2003. Issues concerning "further economic cooperation" are to be on the agenda.